[ntp:questions] Re: Which public servers for adjustment?

Brad Knowles brad at stop.mail-abuse.org
Fri Dec 24 04:35:34 UTC 2004


At 10:38 PM +0000 2004-12-23, Barry Bouwsma wrote:

>  Don't forget to poke at all the routers along the way.  Sometimes, though
>  not as often as in the past, you'll find accurate servers that way.

	See 
<https://ntp.isc.org/bin/view/Support/DesigningYourNTPNetwork#Section_4.6.>. 
Note that this information has been confirmed by people working at 
Cisco.

>     I need a NTP time server. Where can I find one?
>     Install a NTP server on your local network or look at www.ntp.org for
>     a public NTP time server in the geographical proximity.

	We prefer that people use <http://ntp.isc.org/>.

>     If you are interested in installing a NTP server, then it might be of
>     interest knowing that the Test Traffic Measurements service's probes,
>     the "Test-Boxes", have a GPS clock and can therefore be used as
>     stratum-0 NTP servers. For more information, go to
>     www.ripe.net/test-traffic .

	Please see the RulesOfEngagement at 
<https://ntp.isc.org/bin/view/Servers/RulesOfEngagement>, and the 
rest of the discussion at 
<https://ntp.isc.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome>.

>  Interesting.  I didn't find a list of all the geographical locations
>  of the machines out there, but a few random traceroutes confirmed
>  their scatteredness.  I don't know how open these machines are for
>  outsiders to use, which is why I don't want to publicize them too
>  much, but...

	Right.  Please see above.

>  And as noted, unless I hear from RIPE or someone that these servers
>  can be used for more than private use, you should not use them for
>  more than a one-off `ntpdate' test.  Some of them are already hidden
>  from public prying, so the fact that others are reachable should not
>  be taken to mean they are open for the public to abuse.

	Very good advice.  Please do not abuse time servers which belong 
to someone else.

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad at stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

   SAGE member since 1995.  See <http://www.sage.org/> for more info.



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